FIG. 1 illustrates a vacuum cleaner disclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 2001-31233 by the present applicant. As shown in FIG. 1, the vacuum cleaner includes a cleaner body 10, a cyclone unit 20, and a dust receptacle 30. A vacuum generator, that is, a driving motor (not shown) is mounted in the cleaner body 10. A suction brush 12 is movably connected to the lower part of the cleaner body 10. A cyclone receiving 13 is disposed at the center part of the front side of the cleaner body 10.
At the upper part of the cyclone unit 20, an inlet path 21 is disposed to fluidly-communicate with the suction brush 12. Contaminants on a surface to be cleaned are drawn-in through the suction brush 12 and the inlet path 21 into the cyclone unit 20. The air drawn-in through the inlet path 21 forms a whirling current along the inner wall of the cyclone unit 20.
An outlet path 22 is disposed at the center part of the upper side of the cyclone unit 20 to fluidly-communicate with the driving motor. The contaminants are separated from air in the cyclone unit 20, and the clean air is discharged outside of the cleaner body 10 through the outlet path 22 and the vacuum generator. The dust receptacle 30 is detachably connected to the lower part of the cyclone unit 20 by left-and-right movement of an operating lever 41. The driving motor is installed in a driving chamber 17 which is disposed at the lower part of the cyclone receiving unit 13. The driving chamber 17 fluidly-communicates with the cyclone unit 20 through an air outlet path 15. An air inlet path 14 connects the suction brush 12 with the cyclone unit 20 to fluidly-communicate therethrough.
According to the vacuum cleaner as configured above, due to a suction force generated by the driving unit, air is drawn into the cyclone unit 20 through the suction brush 12 and the air inlet path 14. Air cleaned in the cyclone unit 20 is disposed into the driving chamber 17 through the air outlet path 15 and discharged outside via the driving motor.
Air passed through the driving motor is directly discharged outside. If the path through which air is discharged is short, excessive noise is generated. Specifically, if an air outlet port is disposed on a front wall or sidewall of the driving chamber 12, the noise worsens. Accordingly, it is required to configure a vacuum cleaner capable of reducing the noise of the discharging air.
Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.